U.S. military bases step up security measures as Iran war continues

Military bases across the country are stepping up security measures amid the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

U.S. Northern Command, responsible for the defense of North America, has ordered military installations to implement 11 additional “force protection” measures to enhance safety and security, the command said in a statement.

These measures provide a baseline and local commanders can take additional steps to increase safety, Northcom spokeswoman Becky Farmer said.

California has more major military installations than any other state.

The exact measurements are not disclosed so that enemy forces do not know about them, Farmer said. But they include intensified ID checks at entry gates and random inspections of vehicles, according to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

The military also suspended a trusted traveler program that allows specified individuals to enter bases without obtaining visitor passes.

Some bases, including the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, are warning that people may experience delays at entry gates and visitor centers as a result.

At least four U.S. service members have been killed in the widening war, which erupted with a series of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran over the weekend. The United States expects additional losses, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Monday at a Pentagon news conference.

A number of senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have been killed in the conflict.